Worn. A People's History of Clothing

In this panoramic social history, Sofi Thanhauser brilliantly tells five stories-Linen, Cotton, Silk, Synthetics, Wool-about the clothes we wear and where they come from. Guiding us through the opulent court of Louis XIV to the labor camps in modern-day Chinese-occupied Xinjiang, Thanhauser documents how the modern Western garment industry has refashioned our attire into the homogenous and disposable uniforms currently popularized by fast-fashion brands.
While Thanhauser makes clear how the clothing industry has become one of the planet's worst polluters and relies on chronically underpaid and exploited laborers, she also shows us how microcommunities, textile companies, and clothing makers in every corner of the world are rediscovering ancestral and ethical methods for making what we wear. Drawn from years of intensive research and reporting from around the world, and brimming with fascinating stories, Worn reveals to us that our clothing comes not just from the countries listed on the tags or ready-made from our factories.
It also comes from deep in our histories.